Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

The News International phone hacking saga put the cosy network of media and government in sharp focus and showed how powerful media organisations can extert undue pressure on lawmakers and law upholders. And, according to a report by AUT University’s Research Centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD), similar trends—and their associated dangers—are also evident in New Zealand.

Local media companies are increasingly dominated by global and pan-regional corporations and are vulnerable to commercial and shareholder pressures and, as a result, they are now economising, digitising and monetising, with dire consequences for those employed in the industry—and consumers.

“There are now three major players that own 80 percent plus of the New Zealand media – APN, Fairfax and MediaWorks,” says JMAD co-director and AUT media studies lecturer associate professor Wayne Hope. “The sphere for public debate is shrinking with fewer voices, fewer journalists and fewer outlets. Every New Zealander relies on mass media for information about the world around them.

"In a situation where we have concentration of ownership into a few hands and profit becomes more important than public interest, the danger is not only that we get less information overall, we also get less variety of information.”

The report chronicles key events and trends which have most recently shaped the media space, including the closure of news service NZPA after 130 years, the closure of The Independent, job losses for journalists, printers, advertising and distribution workers, the end of funding of TVNZ7 and TVNZ6, the expansion of Sky to the internet sphere, and corporates entering the local news markets.

Although Fairfax and APN are fierce competitors, they are also exploring ways to converge their operations, including possibly combining printing operations.

The report argues that news stories are being informed by fewer sources, resulting in fewer voices being heard.

"Broadly speaking there are fewer mainstream content providers and less choice for consumer-citizens," says Myllylahti.

However, emerging hyperlocal news sites "may encourage alternative public spheres of communication, alongside a growing acceptance of user-generated news-like content and the rising popularity of blogs, social media and alternative news".

According to the report, one of the most noticeable changes to the media landscape was Telecom's decision to pull out of Yahoo!Xtra when it sold its stake to majority owner Yahoo7.

"After the sale the Yahoo!Xtra business was rebranded to Yahoo!New Zealand – somewhat of a misnomer since the company is owned by the American Yahoo and Australia's Seven Network."

Another shift occurred in the form of the government's decision to close down TVNZ7 and TVNZ6, something Myllylahti says was beneficial for one operator: Sky TV and its shareholders.

Hope says the relationship between big media and government was "too cosy".

"We’ve seen that made massively clear with Rupert Murdoch. In that situation a handful of powerful media companies also exert undue influence over government. The $43 million loan to MediaWorks to cover their licence fee and other expenses is a local example.”

Media corporations have also been busy expanding their operations to group-buying sites and other e-commerce platforms. In February, MediaWorks launched its own daily deals offering, Cudo – a joint venture between MediaWorks, Microsoft, Australia's Nine Entertainment and Cudo Australia. Meanwhile, APN increased its ownership of GrabOne from 50 to 75 percent. Fairfax also bought Occupancy, which operates Australian websites listing holiday rental properties, to add to its portfolio that includes holiday rental site Stayz and online travel operations Holidayhomes.co.nz and Bookit.co.nz.

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On Monday, Whittaker’s launched its latest novelty chocolate-lolly mash up with a chocolatey answer to retro bakesale treat coconut ice. The Coconut Ice Surprise chocolate has a twist though, 20c from each block goes to Plunket – a charity which New Zealanders agree is a worthy cause. However, to relate the chocolate to the charity, Whittaker's has built the campaign around baby gender reveal parties, causing a backlash from the public who argue gender norms have expanded beyond blue for boys and pink for girls.

Genius From Elsewhere

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With over 10,000 fires occuring in South Korea residential homes every year, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has created a flower vase that doubles as a throwable fire extinguisher. The hope is it will raise awareness to the public safety issue of home fire safety.

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Advertisers have stopped buying ads on YouTube after their ads appeared on children's videos where pedophiles had infiltrated the comment section.The New York Times investigates the comments.

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The internet has been up in arms about a supposed 'Anti-LGBT' emoji, featuring a rainbow flag alongside the "no" symbol. However, according to Time, the emoji causing offence is actually "an unfortunate implementation of the standards that govern how text is displayed on our device".

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This year, Super Bowl audiences were treated to a 45-second video of Andy Warhol eating a Burger King Whopper. It was certainly a campaign unlike any before, but did it work? Adweek takes a look.

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As of 1 March, Queenslanders will be able to include one of five emojis alongside their licence places. The options—the laughing-crying face, the winking face, the sunglasses face, the heart-eyed face, or the classic smiley face—are courtesy of Personalised Plates Queensland.

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Why we like it: Infomercial-style ads take us right back to the glorious days of old when we were sick – but not too sick – home from school and got the sought-after opportunity to watch daytime TV. There was literally nothing greater in an eight-year-old's life. So for that reason, these ads get a big tick from us. There's humour, and, despite what often happens when radio hosts venture into a visual format, it doesn't miss the mark.

Who's it for: House of Travel by the in-house team

Why we like it: Who doesn't love when brands bring back a break-out star from one of their earlier campaigns? To be completely honest, we didn't recognise Lucy on first glance, but after a quick trip down memory lane, we placed her as Miss Lucy from that singing and dancing retro campaign House of Travel launched more than a decade ago. We like the continuity of this ad and watching a man choke on his drink after a snapback from a woman doesn't hurt either.

Who's it for: Joblist by Badger Communications

Why we like it: Sonia is a dead-set hero. We are introduced to her glamorous, visor-wearing face peering out from behind a freshly-levelled hedge and the next thing we know she's no ordinary arborist. We watch Sonia as she looks into that shrub's soul and reveals the schnauzer-shaped masterpiece of her own creation. We never knew we needed someone with Sonia's skill set in our lives, but now we know we do. Thank you Sonia for showing us the light.